Read Online Fearless: Mob Boss Book Two (Volume 2) by Michelle St. James - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michelle St. James
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cellar, and a gym, among other things. The exterior was faced with ivory stucco, the windows framed with blue shutters, and palm trees provided shade to the interior without totally blocking the sunlight.
“Nice,” he said approvingly.
“Thanks,” Angel said. She heard the note of sarcasm in her voice and felt like she should explain. “I still don’t know how I feel about all of this stuff.”
He turned to look at her. “What stuff?”
“All the stuff bought with my father’s blood money.”
“How do you know the house wasn’t built with legitimate income from Rossi Development?”
She thought about it. Everything was all tangled up together. The good and bad, the moral and immoral, the love and hate.
“I guess I don’t.”
“Maybe that’s a blessing,” he said, taking her hand.
“Maybe.”
They went inside, and Angel opened the windows and the doors leading to the balconies and terraces. The house was just like she remembered it, with soaring ceilings, expansive rooms, and an elaborate iron banister that wound with the curved staircase to the second floor.
When she was done airing out the house, she returned to the ground floor to find Nico standing on the terrace, looking out over the infinity pool and lagoon, and beyond that, to the open ocean in the distance.
“Will this work?” she asked him.
“It will,” he said. “Thank you.”
She reached up to smooth the crease in his forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“I wish you’d go back to New York.”
She dropped her arm, stung by his words. “You don’t want me here?”
“That’s not it.” He pulled her into his arms. “Sometimes I think I can breathe without you.”
“Then why?” she asked.
He looked down at her. “I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to you. You know that, right?”
She stretched to kiss him. “Which is why nothing is going to happen to me. We’re going to meet Luca, get a handle on what’s going on, and decide what to do next. No one even knows we’re here, and it’s not like anyone would suspect I’m hanging out with my former kidnapper.”
A brief flash of misery crossed his features. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” his voice was gruff.
“Don’t torture yourself over the past,” she said. “Trust me, it doesn’t change anything. And I don’t think I’d want to change it anyway.”
He shook his head. “You can’t mean that, Angel. If I hadn’t had Luca and Dante kidnap you, your life would be just as it was before.”
It was what she’d once wanted. Her old life back. Her old naivety. But that meant not knowing Nico. It meant never feeling the mysterious and powerful connection to the man who was now part of her. Would she wish him away? Wish away what they had? The answer was obvious; she wished her father hadn’t died in the flat in London, wished she and David had a chance to talk to him about all the lies he’d told. She wished finding out the truth hadn’t been so painful. But to wish anything else would be to undo what had happened between her and Nico, and whatever the future held, she was surprised to realize she didn’t want that.
“What I had before was a lie. I’ll take the truth.” She pressed her body to his. “I’ll take this.”
She didn’t add the rest of it. That she still didn’t know if she could live with his connection to the Syndicate, that she didn’t know how their lives could possibly blend together after this new crisis passed.
They were interrupted by the buzzing of the intercom, and Angel reluctantly pulled away from Nico to press the button.
“Yes?”
“Angel?” The voice was a little tinny, but she would have recognized it anywhere. “It’s Luca. I’m here.”
13
“I hope you have something new for me,” Nico said.
Luca looked around the high ceilinged kitchen, his gaze continuing to the lagoon beyond the terrace doors. Angel had forgotten how attractive he
“Nice,” he said approvingly.
“Thanks,” Angel said. She heard the note of sarcasm in her voice and felt like she should explain. “I still don’t know how I feel about all of this stuff.”
He turned to look at her. “What stuff?”
“All the stuff bought with my father’s blood money.”
“How do you know the house wasn’t built with legitimate income from Rossi Development?”
She thought about it. Everything was all tangled up together. The good and bad, the moral and immoral, the love and hate.
“I guess I don’t.”
“Maybe that’s a blessing,” he said, taking her hand.
“Maybe.”
They went inside, and Angel opened the windows and the doors leading to the balconies and terraces. The house was just like she remembered it, with soaring ceilings, expansive rooms, and an elaborate iron banister that wound with the curved staircase to the second floor.
When she was done airing out the house, she returned to the ground floor to find Nico standing on the terrace, looking out over the infinity pool and lagoon, and beyond that, to the open ocean in the distance.
“Will this work?” she asked him.
“It will,” he said. “Thank you.”
She reached up to smooth the crease in his forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“I wish you’d go back to New York.”
She dropped her arm, stung by his words. “You don’t want me here?”
“That’s not it.” He pulled her into his arms. “Sometimes I think I can breathe without you.”
“Then why?” she asked.
He looked down at her. “I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to you. You know that, right?”
She stretched to kiss him. “Which is why nothing is going to happen to me. We’re going to meet Luca, get a handle on what’s going on, and decide what to do next. No one even knows we’re here, and it’s not like anyone would suspect I’m hanging out with my former kidnapper.”
A brief flash of misery crossed his features. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” his voice was gruff.
“Don’t torture yourself over the past,” she said. “Trust me, it doesn’t change anything. And I don’t think I’d want to change it anyway.”
He shook his head. “You can’t mean that, Angel. If I hadn’t had Luca and Dante kidnap you, your life would be just as it was before.”
It was what she’d once wanted. Her old life back. Her old naivety. But that meant not knowing Nico. It meant never feeling the mysterious and powerful connection to the man who was now part of her. Would she wish him away? Wish away what they had? The answer was obvious; she wished her father hadn’t died in the flat in London, wished she and David had a chance to talk to him about all the lies he’d told. She wished finding out the truth hadn’t been so painful. But to wish anything else would be to undo what had happened between her and Nico, and whatever the future held, she was surprised to realize she didn’t want that.
“What I had before was a lie. I’ll take the truth.” She pressed her body to his. “I’ll take this.”
She didn’t add the rest of it. That she still didn’t know if she could live with his connection to the Syndicate, that she didn’t know how their lives could possibly blend together after this new crisis passed.
They were interrupted by the buzzing of the intercom, and Angel reluctantly pulled away from Nico to press the button.
“Yes?”
“Angel?” The voice was a little tinny, but she would have recognized it anywhere. “It’s Luca. I’m here.”
13
“I hope you have something new for me,” Nico said.
Luca looked around the high ceilinged kitchen, his gaze continuing to the lagoon beyond the terrace doors. Angel had forgotten how attractive he
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